Exactly Where You Need To Be
by cpdfan4
Summary: Fourth of July takes an unexpected turn. One-shot.
i've had most of these ideas for a while but i'm on spring break now and SO bored, which is why i've posted so much; i hope you're all enjoying them!

disclaimer: i don't own anything, all rights to dick wolf & NBC!

xo :)

"Jay, don't you dare!" Erin shrieked as her boyfriend came up behind her and picked her up over his shoulder and ran to the edge of the pool.

"Do it! Do it!" the chants from all of the guys of the unit filled his ears and he jumped into the cold water, still holding Erin.

When they resurfaced, she pulled away from him and splashed water in his face. "You are so dead!" she screamed, but it didn't come out convincingly when she couldn't stop laughing.

"Hey, it's just payback for the taser!" he shot back, splashing water at her too. She jumped on his back and tried to push him under, but her tiny body was no match for his muscular frame. Luckily, the rest of the unit had finally stopped laughing enough for Atwater and Ruzek to jump in the pool to help her dunk him under.

Hank Voight sat on his deck, watching his unit try and kill each other in the pool. He couldn't help but smile and wonder how these children made up the most elite police unit in Chicago. His thoughts were interrupted when Erin came running up onto the deck and gave him a big, wet hug, earning roars of laughter from everyone in the pool.

"You really like getting thrown in the pool, huh, kid?" His gravelly voice asked as he grabbed her arm when she tried to run away, then picked her up in his arms and threw her right back into the cold water. She shrieked again and at this point everyone in the backyard was crying of laughter.

Chicago summers were always rough for the unit – for some reason, the hot weather made the crime rates rise and the temperatures made wearing their vests and equipment almost unbearable. But every year, they all looked forward to Voight's annual Fourth of July barbeque.

xoxoxoxo

A little while later, Olinsky and Voight stood at the grill flipping burgers, Erin and Burgess were inside cutting a watermelon, and all of the guys were playing chicken in the pool when Voight's phone rang.

He walked away from the grill with a troubled look on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Olinsky.

"You okay?" he asked Hank when he came back.

Hank grunted. "No, that was the district. You remember Connor Grant, we locked him up for a double homicide back in '01?"

Olinsky nodded. "Yeah, the Rodriguez case. What about him?"

"Somehow he's out on good behavior. And Trudy just called in a tip that he's planning for something to go down at the fireworks display tonight." The detectives exchanged worried looks as they tried to come up with a plan.

Erin came out the back door carrying a tray when she noticed the men's faces. "Everything okay?" she questioned.

Hank shook his head. "I hate to do this, but go get everyone out of the pool. We gotta get to the district."

xoxoxoxo

"Connor Grant," Erin slapped a picture on the board, "Put away back in 2001 for the deaths of Michael and John Rodriguez, father and son. Got out yesterday on good behavior," she began.

"There's been word that he's planning a hit on the judge who put him away, Rob Bailey. Bailey attends the fireworks display with his family every Fourth and Grant and his crew are going to try and get him there." Jay took over, taping Bailey's picture on the other side of the board.

"I know it's a holiday, but reach out to as many CIs as you can and see what they've heard. Ruzek and O, go sit on Grant's house. Everyone meet back here at 7:00 so we can head over to the park," Voight barked before going into his unit and slamming the door.

Erin sighed and sat down at her desk, turning her mini-fan on and taking her CI files out of her drawer.

"Er, my CI might know something. Let's go," Jay yelled from across the room and the partners took off down the stairs.

Jay's CI was extremely helpful and told them that he heard it was just Grant and one other guy because everyone else was too afraid to work with Grant just yet. He let them in on what he'd heard about the plan and by the time their meeting was over, it was already 6:30.

"We gotta go. Thanks, Mouse," Jay said as he and Erin took back off toward the district.

They briefed the team on what Mouse had told them and geared up. Erin groaned as she pulled her vest on and it stuck to her sweaty body as Jay zipped it up.

"Let's roll out! Everyone goes home tonight!" Voight yelled, leading the team out of the garage.

xoxoxoxo

Erin and Jay sat on the blanket, pretending to be a couple getting ready to watch the fireworks display.

"I got eyes on him," they heard Ruzek whisper through the earpiece. "Halstead, Lindsay, coming your way,"

"Anyone see Bailey?" Jay asked.

"O's got eyes on him. Focus on Grant," Voight ordered as the fireworks began.

Erin forgot about the task at hand for a minute as she looked up at the sky. She had always loved fireworks; they were always the one constant of Fourth of Julys during her childhood. Even on the holidays that her mom overdosed or didn't come home, she would sneak Teddy onto the roof and watch the fireworks with him.

"Lindsay, Halstead, do you see Grant?" her thoughts were broken by Voight's voice in her ear.

She turned to look when she saw Jay sitting on the blanket, shaking hard, his head between his legs, covering his ears. "Fuck," she whispered.

"I need backup. Now. I think the fireworks triggered Jay's PTSD," she screamed into her mouthpiece before crawling over to her boyfriend.

"Babe," Erin slowly reached out to touch his arm. "Jay." She couldn't see his face but she knew he was crying; he was shaking so hard. Erin tried to fight back her own tears as she tried to get him to lift his head. "Hey, it's me. It's Erin. Hey, you're okay," she whispered.

Jay lifted his head to look at her and the look in his eyes terrified her. They were so hollow, so empty. "The Humvee-" he began, but broke out in sobs before he could finish the sentence.

Erin grabbed him and pulled his body into hers, stroking the back of his head. "Shhh… Jay… you're in Chicago. You're safe," she promised, still fighting her own tears as Ruzek and Voight ran up to their blanket.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed, the tears finally falling from her eyes. "I can't leave him. I lost Grant."

Voight nodded. "I called Burgess and Roman as backup. You get him to the car and take him home, we'll be fine here,"

Erin nodded to Voight as he walked away and she turned her attention back to Jay, who was still shaking in her arms. "Babe," she whispered, "You're safe. I got you. Let's go home," she was suddenly so thankful that their blanket was right next to the parking lot.

Jay didn't respond as Erin began to stand up and pulled him with her. He held on to her for dear life as she walked to her car and strapped him into the passenger seat. They could still hear the fireworks from her car and he shook in the seat next to her for the entire ride home. His head was still buried in his knees and Erin was having trouble seeing the road through her own tears, but she somehow got to her apartment in less than five minutes.

When they got into her apartment, the fireworks were louder than ever and her apartment was shaking due to being so high in the air. She suddenly hated her top floor apartment and the fact that Chicago had one of the longest, most extravagant firework displays in the country. Jay collapsed in a corner and Erin held him, still stroking his hair, reminding him that he was safe, unsure of what else to say. After a few minutes that felt like hours, the fireworks stopped. Erin eventually felt his tense body loosen and heard his breathing even out. She breathed a sign of relief as she looked down to see her boyfriend asleep in her lap with tear-stained cheeks but looking more relaxed than he had in an hour.

Erin sat there watching Jay sleep for over an hour. She had never been so thankful that her boyfriend had fallen asleep and she swore to herself she would never get mad at him for falling asleep again. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out, careful not to wake Jay.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"How's Halstead?" Voight's voice was unusually concerned.

"Sleeping," she told her father figure, breathing another sigh of relief. "Did you get Grant?"

"Yup. It went perfectly, Burgess and Roman really stepped up,"

"I'm sor-" Erin began to apologize for leaving but Hank quickly interrupted her.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry. You are exactly where you need to be," Hank told her.

She felt her eyes fill with tears all over again, "I know," she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on Jay's forehead.

"I'm proud of ya kid. You get some sleep too. Call me tomorrow, you and Halstead take the day."

"Thanks, Hank," Erin said, hanging up the phone. She watched Jay sleep for a few more minutes then decided it would be more comfortable for both of them if she got him off the kitchen floor and into her bed.

"Jay, babe?" She slowly and gently rubbed his arm and his eyes fluttered open, still bloodshot. "Let's go to bed,"

He nodded and slowly stood up as she placed a hand on his back and led him down the hallway. He climbed into her bed and she followed, surprised when he grabbed her and pulled her close. After spending the night holding him, she didn't realize just how much she needed to be the one in _his_ arms.

"Thank you," he whispered, pressing a kiss into Erin's hair.

"You've been there for me before," she mumbled into his chest and he squeezed her tighter, neither of them ever feeling safer.


End file.
